Buckeyes Begin Championship Season Sunday in Chicago

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State cross country battles the best of the Big Ten at the 2015 Big Ten Cross Country Championships this Sunday, Nov. 1, in Chicago, Ill.

Northwestern University plays host to the conference championships at the Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course. Free to the public, the men’s 8k race begins at 11:45 a.m. ET, followed by the women’s 6k at 12:45 p.m. ET.

A complete recap will available after the races at www.OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

Setting the StageAs always, the Big Ten is loaded with talented teams as five women’s squads – No. 2 Michigan, No. 15 Penn State, No. 21 Michigan State, No. 22 Minnesota and No. 30 Purdue – are featured in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Top 30, along with four on the men’s side – No. 5 Michigan, No. 19 Michigan State, No. 27 Wisconsin and No. 28 Indiana. The Wolverines are the team to beat in both races.

Cross Country on BTNBTN will air tape-delayed coverage of the 2015 Big Ten Cross Country Championships on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. ET. Check your local listings for the channel in your area.

Stay Updated this Weekend!USTFCCCA will provide coverage of the Big Ten championships on the National Results Wall (link above) using crowd-sourced social media updates and live video. Fans are encouraged to have an active role in generating Twitter/Instagram posts with live race updates and race photos.

Live results from Chicago are also available at the above link.

Ohio State History at the ChampionshipsIn its 100-year history, the men's cross country team has won only one Big Ten title (1923). The Buckeyes have placed among the Top 5 42 times and have claimed runner-up honors seven times.

Nine individuals have been named to the All-Big Ten team based on their performances at the conference championships, the most recent being Donny Roys in 2012.

Buckeyes in the Great Lakes Regional RankingsThe Buckeye men and women are both ranked seventh in the latest USTFCCCA Great Lakes regional rankings, released Oct. 19.

On the men's side, fifth-ranked Michigan is the top team in the region, followed by No. 19 Michigan State, No. 28 Indiana, No. 27 Wisconsin, Eastern Michigan, Purdue, and the Buckeyes.

Michigan, ranked second nationally, is also No. 1 in the region on the women's side. No. 17 Notre Dame is second, followed by No. 19 Michigan State, Indiana, No. 30 Purdue, Wisconsin (RV) and the Buckeyes.

A Look Back at Last YearThe 19th-ranked women’s cross country team finished fourth overall at the 2014 Big Ten Cross Country Championships in Iowa City, Iowa, equaling the best team finish at the conference championships in school history.

Katie Borchers earned the second All-Big Ten award of her career with a ninth-place and personal-best 6k time of 20:16.1. Michelle Thomas crossed second for the Buckeyes with a 20th-place time of 20:39.8. Helen Willman finished just shy of the Top 25, placing 26th overall, while Tammy Berger and Sakiko Minagawa finished 34th and 42nd, respectively.

The men finished 10th overall led by Jackson Neff, who raced to a 48th-place finish. Clayton Bowie was impressive in his conference debut as a freshman, finishing 55th, while Blake Taneff and Curtis Hanle finished 60th and 61st, respectively. Nick Elswick completed the scoring five for OSU with a 69th-place effort.

Last Time OutThe Buckeye women raced to a 31st-place team finish at the adidas Invitational Oct. 16 in Madison, Wis. The highly-competitive meet featured 20 ranked teams in the field.

Sakiko Minagawa led Ohio State with an 84th-place finish in a personal-best 6k time of 20:50.8. Minori Minagawa finished just shy of a personal-best 6k time, finishing second for the Buckeyes and 147th overall in a time of 21:24.5. Berger (153rd, 21:28.1), Willman (167th, 21:36.7) and freshman Lilly Saniel-Banrey (179th, 21:42.4) completed the scoring for Ohio State.

The men of the Scarlet and Gray raced to a 21st-place finish at Pre-Nationals Oct. 17 in Louisville, Ky. All five Buckeye scorers ran personal-best 8k times in a race that featured 12 ranked teams.

Evan Stifel led OSU with a 69th-place finish in a time of 24:07.9, trimming a massive 40 seconds off of his previous 8k PR. Elswick (94th, 24:17.0) turned in a 13-second PR, while Bowie (121st, 24:25.4) improved on his previous personal best by 11 seconds. Michael Brajdic (138th, 24:32.9) and Mitch Leitch (170th, 24:44.7) completed the scoring for Ohio State, with each improving by more than 10 seconds.

Up NextOhio State runs at the 2015 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships Nov. 13 in Madison, Wis.